Ross reveals respect for Richards

BARELY a week has passed in the last six months when the unholy alliance between sports and cheating hasn’t raised its ugly head and one of this year’s most controversial incidents was on the menu again yesterday.

Leinster may be halfway through their crucial back-to-back Heineken Cup double-header with the Scarlets but ‘Bloodgate’ was always going to be front and centre when Mike Ross was on the interview roster yesterday.

Ross was Harlequins’ tight-head prop against Leinster back in April when Dean Richards attempted to ride roughshod over the rules by reintroducing Nick Evans for the ‘injured’ Tom Williams in the European quarter-final.